Songwriter Kyle Jacobs was found dead at the home he shared with wife Kellie Pickler in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, by an apparent suicide, according to authorities.
After the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department received a 911 call at 1:21 p.m. on Friday, the local fire department found the 49-year-old “deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs bedroom/office. His death is being investigated as an apparent suicide,” a statement shared with media reads.
According to the statement, Pickler “reported that she awoke a short time earlier, did not see her husband, and began looking for him. After she and her personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant telephoned 911.”
Jacobs and Pickler, who finished in sixth place on “American Idol” in 2010, have been married since 2011. In 2015, they starred in the CMT reality show “I Love Kellie Pickler.”
Among the songs he wrote or co-wrote are Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory,” and Tim McGraw’s “Still.” He also produced four hit country singles for Lee Brice: “Hard to Love,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “Drinking Class” and “Rumor.”
His songs have been recorded by artists including Pickler, Trace Adkins, Jo Dee Messina, Kelly Clarkson and Scotty McCreery.
In his last Instagram post on Feb. 15, Jacobs celebrated Brice’s 2020 album “Hey World” hitting platinum status. “Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together… Deeply honored to be a creative part of it… Thank you Jesus!!,” he wrote in the caption.
Fans have been leaving tributes in the comments: “Just shocked and so sad. The world lost an incredible talent,” wrote Leah Sanders.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free, 24/7 confidential service that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information and local resources. Simply call, text, or chat 988 to be connected to trained counselors.
